Maneuvering towline system

ABSTRACT

A maneuvering towline system for towing a water sled or the like behind a boat. The towline system includes a main towline having front and rear ends for attachment to the boat and sled, respectively, and an auxiliary towline jointed at its front end to the main towline forwardly of the sled. The rear end of the auxiliary towline is held by the sled rider. The rider may slacken the auxiliary towline to cause the towing force on the main towline to be exerted directly on the sled which will then follow behind the towing boat. The rider may also pull rearwardly on the auxiliary towline to effect transfer of the towing force to the rider through the auxiliary towline and thereby permit him to maneuver the sled.

United States Patent [191 Turner 5] Apr. 30, 1974 MANEUVERING TOWLINESYSTEM [57 1 ABSTRACT [76] Inventor: Richard W. Turner, 1780 Tubbs St.,meuveringmglgiyggm f towinygwaflgtgrmslgzg Thousand Oaks Cahf- 91360 wmrm h Q-TQQ ASLQQQQEisI lL flliiEvfigqmioclu 22 Filed: Aug. 30, 1972 tWigwam; ommandrmanends. fonmmhand sled, respectively, and an auxili- PP285,038 fi'i'y t owliii joint d ftits front end to the main towlineforwardly of the sled. luggg gngwoijtheuauxiliarym. 52 us. Cl 114/235ws, 97310 B Jiiivlzgl hbxdt zsnslegmridern The rider may [51 Int. ClB63b 21/00 the auxiliary Owline m the Wing force [58] Field of Search u9 /3 10 R, 310 A, 310 B on the main towline to be exerted directly onthe sled E; a7 then fOllOW behind the towing boat. The rider may alsopull rearwardly on the auxiliary towline 56] References Cited tfi effecthtransfelr of the1 towing fiorceb to the riser t rou t e aux: 1 tow inean t ere ermit im UNITED STATES PATENTS to iz the ig y p 3,042,9447/1962 Basey et al 114/235 WS 2,910,708 ll/l959 Albright 9/310 B PrimaryExaminerDuane A. Reger Assistant Examiner-Jesus D. Sotelo V Attorney,Agent, or Fz'rm-Bdniardl. Brown 8 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures MANEUVERINGTOWLINE SYSTEM BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the InventionThis invention relates generally to water sleds and the like and moreparticularly to a novel maneuvering towline system for such sleds.

2. Discussion of the Prior Art A water sled is a sled-like aquaticvehicle which is adapted to support a rider in sitting or standingposition and to be towed behind a speed boat. To this end, the sled isattached to the boat by means of a towline. A conventional towline forthis purpose is simply a long rope or cable having means at its frontand rear ends for connection to the boat and sled, respectively.

Such a conventional towline has the disadvantage that it does not permitmaneuvering of the sled by the rider. Thus, the rear end of the towlineis attached to the front end or bow of the sled. Accordingly, the towingforce in the towline is exerted directly on the sled in such a way thatthe sled follows the towing boat. The sled cannot be maneuvered by therider without the aid of a rudder or other steering means which increasethe complexity and cost of the sled.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention provides a maneuvering towlinesystem for water sleds and the like which overcomes the above and otherdisadvantages of a conventional towsuch that a rear length or section ofthe main towline exists between the auxiliary towline attachment pointand the rear end of the main towline attached to the sled. The auxiliarytowline has rear grip means to be held by the sled rider and is adaptedto be pulled rearwardly or slackened by the rider.

When the rider slackens the auxiliary towline, the towing force in themain towline is exerted directly on the sled through the rear section ofthe main towline between the auxiliary towline and the sled. The sled isthen towed in the same manner as with a conventional towline and simplyfollows the towing boat. To maneuver the sled, the rider pullsrearwardly on the auxiliary towline to create slack in the rear sectionof the main towline. This action removes the towing force from the sleddirectly and transfers the force to the rider through i the auxiliarytowline. The rider may then maneuver the sled from side to side byleaning sideways in much the same manner as a water skier.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a watersled being towed with a towline system-according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the sled and towline system;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 illustrating the towline system inits maneuvering mode or condition; and

FIG. 4 illustrates a modified towline system according to the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring first to FIGS. 1-3, awater sled 10 is connected to a towing boat (not shown) by a maneuveringtowline system 12 according to the invention. Water sled 10 isconventional and hence need not be described in elaborate detail.Suffice it to say that the sled has a generally sled-like body or hull14 which may be molded from plastic or otherwise fabricated. The sledhull has an upturned and rounded front end or bow l6 and a rear deck 18on which a rider 20 may stand, as shown. Buoyancy means, such asStyrofoam floats, may be attached to the hull to provide the latter withsufficient positive buoyancy in water to support the rider.

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towline has a front end (not shown) for attachment to the towing boatand a rear end 26 for attachment to the bow 16 of the water sled 10. Themain towline may be attached to the boat and sled in any convenient way.In the drawings, for example, the rear end 26 of the main towline issecured to a ring 28 attached to the underside of the sled adjacent itsbox and on the longitudinal center line of the sled.

The front end of the auxiliary towline 24 is attached to the maintowline 22 at a point 30 some distance forwardly of the rear end 26 ofthe main towline. Accordingly, a rear length or section 32 of the maintowline exists between the attachment point 30 and the rear towline end26. Attachment of the auxiliary towline to the main towline may beaccomplished in any convenient way. In the drawings, the auxiliarytowline is secured to a ring 34 attached to the main towline.

Auxiliary towline 24 has rear grip means 36 to be held by the sled rider20. In the particular embodiment under discussion, grip means 36comprise three crossbar handles 38, 40 and 42 spaced along the auxiliarytowline. The ends of the rear cross-bar 42 are connected to the sled 10by lines 44, whereby the rear handle is movable fore and aft and fromside to side.

In use of the sled 10, the rider 20 stands on the sled deck 18 in theposition shown and grasps the rear handle 42 of the auxiliary towline24. This rear handle, being attached to the sled and main towline,provides asupport by which the rider may steady and balance himself onthe sled, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. In this regard, it will be observedthat the rider is pulling back on the handle 42 with sufficient force tocreate some tension in the auxiliary towline so that he may effectivelysteady himself. However, the towing force in the main towline 22 isexerted directly on the sled 10 through the rear section 32 of the maintowline. Accordingly, the sled will be towed behind and follow thetowing boat in much the same manner as with a conventional towline.Under these conditions the rider may effect only very little if anymaneuvering control of the sled.

Maneuvering of the sled is accomplished by pulling rearwardly on theauxiliary towline 24 until the rear section 32 of the main towline 22becomes slack, as shown in FIG. 3. This action removes the direct towingforce from the sled and transfers this force to the rider through theauxiliary towline. The rider may then maneuver the sled from side toside by leaning sideways in one direction or the other, in much the sameway as a 9 (J VIZ) water skier does to turn right and left. When thuspulling back on the auxiliary towline, the rider grasps the handles 38,40 and 42 in succession. Releasing the auxiliary towline again transfersthe towing force to the sled.

The modified towline system 12a of FIG. 4 is similar to that of FIGS.1-3 except that the rear end of the auxiliary towline 24a is attached tothe sled 10. The entire rear portion of the auxiliary towline providesgrip means by which the rider may grasp the towline to steady himselfand pull the towline rearwardly to maneuver the sled. This modifiedtowline system may also be used by a rider in a sitting position on thesled.

What is claimed as new in support of Letters Patent a main towlinehaving front and rear ends to be attache cl to the boat and sled,respectively, for towing the sled behind the boat, ai uxiliary towlinehaving a front end attached to said mam towline at a point forwardly o fits rear end t o pro'vide a main towline section rearwardly of saidpoint and rear grip means to be held by the sled rider, and

anchor line means secured at one end to said grip means and adapted tobe secured at the other end to said sled in a manner such that saidauxiliary towline, rear towline section, and anchor line means form atriangle when drawn taut, whereby the rider may slacken the auxiliarytowline to cause the towing force in said main towline to be exerteddirectly on said sled through said rear towline section, and the ridermay pull rearwardly on said auxiliary towline to slacken said towlinesection and draw said auxiliary towline and anchor line means taut,thereby to effect transfer of the towing force to the rider through theauxiliary towline and permit maneuvering of the sled by movement of saidauxiliary towline anchor line means sidewise of the sled.

2. A towline system according to claim 1 wherein:

said grip means comprises a cross-bar handle secured at its center tothe auxiliary towline and said anchor line means comprises anchor linessecured to the ends of said handle.

3. A towline system according to claim 2 wherein:

said grip means further comprises a pair of handles secured to andspaced along the auxiliary towline forwardly of said cross-bar handleand adapted to be grasped successively by the rider as he pullsrearwardly on the auxiliary towline.

4. A towline system according to claim 1 wherein:

said auxiliary towline, anchor line means, and grip means comprise asingle continuous line having a rear end for attachment to said sled.

5. In combination:

a water sled,

a maneuvering towline system for towing said sled behind a boat, and

said towline system comprising a main towline having att a chedto thepro w of said sled, an auxiliary towline having a front end attached to5513 marfiratmfiht a point forwardly of its rear end to provide a maintowline section rearwardly of said point and rear grip means to be heldby the sled rider, and

anchor line means secured at one end to said grip means and secured atthe other end to said sled in a manner such that said auxiliary towline,rear towline section, and anchor line means form a triangle when drawntaut, whereby the rider may slacken the auxiliary towline to cause thetowing force in said main towline to be exerted directly on said sledthrough said rear towline section, and the rider may pull rearwardly onsaid auxiliary towline to slacken said towline section and draw saidauxiliary towline and anchor line means taut, thereby to effect transferof the towing force to the rider through the auxiliary towline andpermit maneuvering of the sled by movement of said auxiliary towlineanchor line means sidewise of the sled.

6. The combination according to claim 5 wherein:

said grip means comprises a cross-bar handle secured at its center tothe auxiliary towline and said anchor line means comprises anchor linessecured to the ends of said handle.

7. The combination according to claim 6 wherein:

said grip means further comprises a pair of handles secured to andspaced along the auxiliary towline forwardly of said cross-bar handleand adapted to be grasped successively by the rider as he pullsrearwardly on the auxiliary towline.

8. The combination according to claim 6 wherein:

said auxiliary towline, anchor line means, and grip means comprise asingle continuous line having a rear end attached to said sled.

1. A maneuvering towline system for a boat-drawn water or the like,comprising: a main towline having front and rear ends to be attached tothe boat and sled, respectively, for towing the sled behind the boat, anauxiliary towline having a front end attached to said main towline at apoint forwardly of its rear end to provide a main towline sectionrearwardly of said point and rear grip means to be held by the sledrider, and anchor line means secured at one end to said grip means andadapted to be secured at the other end to said sled in a manner suchthat said auxiliary towline, rear towline section, and anchor line meansform a triangle when drawn taut, whereby the rider may slacken theauxiliary towline to cause the towing force in said main towline to beexerted directly on said sled through said rear towline section, and therider may pull rearwardly on said auxiliary towline to slacken saidtowline section and draw said auxiliary towline and anchor line meanstaut, thereby to effect transfer of the towing force to the riderthrough the auxiliary towline and permit maneuvering of the sled bymovement of said auxiliary towline anchor line means sidewise of thesled.
 2. A towline system according to claim 1 wherein: said grip meanscomprises a cross-bar handle secured at its center to the auxiliarytowline and said anchor line means comprises anchor lines secured to theends of said handle.
 3. A towline system according to claim 2 wherein:said grip means further comprises a pair of handles secured to andspaced along the auxiliary towline forwardly of said cross-bar handleand adapted to be grasped successively by the rider as he pullsrearwardly on the auxiliary towline.
 4. A towline system according toclaim 1 wherein: said auxiliary towline, anchor line means, and gripmeans comprise a single continuous line having a rear end for attachmentto said sled.
 5. In combination: a water sled, a maneuvering towlinesystem for towing said sled behind a boat, and said towline systemcomprising a main towline having a front end for attachment to saidboat, a rear end attached to the prow of said sled, an auxiliary towlinehaving a front end attached to said main towline at a point forwardly ofits rear end to provide a main towline section rearwardly of said pointand rear grip means to be held by the sled rider, and anchor line meanssecured at one end to said grip means and secured at the other end tosaid sled in a manner such that said auxiliary towline, rear towlinesection, and anchor line means form a triangle when drawn taut, wherebythe rider may slacken the auxiliary towline to cause the towing force insaid main towline to be exerted directly on said sled through said reartowline section, and the rider may pull rearwardly on said auxiliarytowline to slacken said towline section and draw said auxiliary towlineand anchor line means taut, thereby to effect transfer of the towingforce to the rider through the auxiliary towline and permit maneuveringof the sled by movement of said auxiliary towline anchor line meanssidewise of the sled.
 6. The combination according to claim 5 wherein:said grip means comprises a cross-bar handle secured at its center tothe auxiliary towline and said anchor line means comprises anchor linessecured to the ends of said handle.
 7. The combination according toclaim 6 wherein: said grip means further comprises a pair of handlessecured to and spaced along the auxiliary towline forwardly of saidcross-bar handle and adapted to be grasped successively by the rider ashe pulls rearwardly on the auxiliary towline.
 8. The combinationaccording to claim 6 wherein: said auxiliary towline, anchor line means,and grip means comprise a single continuous line having a rear endattached to said sled.